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WA Mining Conference & Exhibition is Western Australia’s leading mining technology event, returning to the PCEC this 9 – 10 October. Join thought leaders, experts and academics as they showcase the technological and digital evolution shaping Western Australia’s mining industry. Featuring a highly targeted paid conference, a free-to-attend seminar, a networking function and 100+ solution providers across the entire value chain – WA Mining is a must-attend event to experience the forefront of mining innovation. Key themes include: Future Technology Innovative Technology ESG Decarbonisation Cyber & Analytics Tickets launching soon – pre-register now. WA Mining Conference & Exhibition Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre (PCEC) 9 – 10 October 2024 www.waminingexpo.com.au

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced this morning landmark funding of $566m to drive critical mineral exploration around Australia over the next 10 years. An additional $100m will go towards speeding up the current environmental approvals process across states and territories for renewables and critical minerals. Prime Minister Albanese says next week’s Federal Budget will invest in a new era of mineral exploration. “We will fund the first comprehensive map of what’s under Australia’s soil – and our seabed,” he said. “Meaning we can pinpoint the new deposits of critical minerals and strategic materials we need for clean energy and its technology. “As well as traditional minerals like iron ore and gold. “And potential storage sites for hydrogen.” Primes Minister Albanese…

Fortescue (ASX: FMG) has successfully completed propulsion and manoeuvrability trials of the Fortescue Green Pioneer in the Port of Singapore. The trials were undertaken over a 10-day period using 6.4m3 of liquid ammonia, in combination with diesel and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO), a second-generation biofuel, as marine fuel. The vessel was loaded on April 23, 2024, at Vopak Banyan Terminal, Jurong Island while the vessel was at anchor. The Fortescue Green Pioneer was subject to testing of the ammonia storage systems, associated piping, gas fuel delivery system, retrofitted engines and seaworthiness. The propulsion and manoeuvrability trials also included tests to validate the management of nitrogen-based emissions and the assessment of the ship’s engine capacity to operate on varying amounts of…

Considerable exploration potential will be unlocked at Australia’s largest tungsten mine to aid in the supply of unlocking the critical mineral. Supported by the Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund (QCMBTF), underground mining operations will return to EQ Resources’ (ASX: EQR) Mt Carbine site in Far North Queensland. Tungsten possesses the highest melting point and tensile strength of all pure metals and it can be used across a range of renewable energy applications such as solar cells, wind turbines and battery storage. The Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) managed fund will provide a $20m senior secured debt facility for new plant equipment, drill testing and trial mining to further explore tungsten resources. QIC state chief investment officer Allison Hill says…

WesTrac and Thiess have celebrated an autonomous drilling record at Thiess’ Mt Arthur South operation in NSW. Last month, one million metres was autonomously drilled at the operation using a fleet of three Cat MD-series drills running with the Cat MineStar Command Autonomous Drill System (ADS). WesTrac technology solutions manager Nakia Brewer says the achievement not only reflects the highly successful deployment of autonomous drills but the strength of partnership. “When implementing new technology, it is crucial that there is a clear understanding of the problem you’re trying to solve – in this case it was to reduce operating costs and increase consistency of drilling,” he said. In 2019, WesTrac, Caterpillar and Thiess began the drilling program and following a…

A major step has been taken towards unlocking critical minerals and high-tech metals in NSW with results from a new mapping exercise now available. Over 18 months, eight aircraft captured data across more than 148,000km2, around one-sixth of the state. This work also included using sound waves to delve up to 50km beneath the surface. The surveys can map large areas of land with minimal disruption to the environment to help better understand the geology and possible uncover groundwater aquifers. A number of areas were highlighted for further exploration, including around Forbes, Yathong, Cobar and Dubbo. Undertaken in collaboration with Geoscience Australia, the data will be used to help enhance the understanding of the geological composition and structure of NSW.…

Regis Resources (ASX: RRL) has approved two underground mines — Garden Well Main and Rosemont Stage 3 — to support its underground growth strategy. With the inclusion of Garden Well Main and Rosemont Stage 3, Regis will operate at least three independent underground mining areas within the Duketon gold project in WA. Located around 750m north of the current Garden Well South underground mine, Garden Well Main will open a new mining domain directly below the base of the current Garden Well open pit. The mining inventory at Garden Well Main comprises of 36% indicated mineral resources, 24% inferred mineral resources and 41% unclassified material. Recent exploration and knowledge of the local geology indicate mineralised extensions down plunge of the…

High-quality mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC) has been produced from monazite concentrate at Dreadnought Resources’ (ASX: DRE) Yin project, part of the Mangaroon project in WA. The concentrate was produced by metallurgical group ANSTO using a conventional low-temperature acid bake / leach process. The testwork was carried out on a 2kg monazite concentrate sample that was taken from combined diamond core samples from three holes drilled at Yin. The produced MREC was made up of 30.6% total rare earth oxides containing 8.3% neodymium oxide and 2.2% praseodymium oxide. It was predominantly comprised of monazite (50.6%), apatite (32.2%) and iron / manganese oxides (12%). Testwork confirmed the monazite concentrate is responsive to processing via an acid bake / leach process with…